


Tale of the First Mermaid

by luvya386



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Gen, Mermaids, Mythology References, Storytelling, Superstition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-08-21 20:57:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8260276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luvya386/pseuds/luvya386
Summary: Set after season 3, the crew are celebrating their victory, and telling stories. And Silver has one to share.





	

They were telling stories. The men had earned a small celebration for their recent victory over Hornigold's militia. The force had returned to Nassau and Flint, Silver, and Madi agreed that the men needed a night to lift their spirits and keep their minds off those they had lost in the fight. So now the men sat around a large bonfire trading stories and bottles of rum. The crew had been telling the maroons tales of the sea, sailors, and other ocean creatures. The maroons were returning the favour, telling stories of their villages and hunts they were a part of. The crew had started an argument as to which creature was the most dangerous. Some said a kraken, others argued sirens or witches.

"Those are frightening to be sure, but there is no more dangerous creature on the water, than a mermaid." DeGroot stated knowingly.

A chorus of agreements rose from the men. "Those daughters of Poseidon are crafty devils. They can lure you in with their songs and dash you against rocks or knock holes in your hull." A crewman informed the others.

"The mermaids of the old world may be daughters of the Sea King, but that is not true of the new world mermaids." The men stood to make space for Silver as he came to sit among them.

"They're different? How so?"

"Well, a few years ago when I served on a merchant ship, the first mate was an old sailor named Henry Carver. He sailed for many a year and looked about as old as the sea itself. And he always told us of a tale. Back when he had first sailed from England, he was on watch one night with barely any wind in the sails, when he heard splashing over the side."

The men around the fire had grown quiet at the beginning of his story, now they all leaned a little closer, intent on discovering what would happen next.

"Carver leaned over the side wondering if they were dragging something or if perhaps one of the men fell overboard. As he was looking down he saw a flash of blue in the water. Though not any blue you have ever seen, but a glowing otherworldly blue. He was shocked at the sight and looked out over the dark waters for any clue as to what it was. Then right before his eyes a woman emerged from the waves. She was striking with green eyes, long blonde hair, and instead of legs - a graceful blue tail. He said they spoke of many things, but there's one tale he would never forget.

"She told him a story of a ship called the _Merry Willow_ that had traveled to the new world. It was the first ship to sail to the new world with a woman on board. And near the end of their journey, as they sailed close to land, a large storm rose up, seemingly out of nowhere. This storm raged on for days - the men feared the ship would go down. One of the men claimed they had brought this tempest down on themselves. That is was bad luck to bring a woman aboard, that they were being punished for daring to do so. This idea spread like wildfire through the crew - they shouldn't have brought a woman aboard, perhaps she even called down the storm herself. And so, they hauled up the woman from below decks, tied her legs together so that she couldn't swim, and threw her into the sea.

"As she sank into the depths, she prayed to the Sea Goddess Calypso to save her. To let her live so that she could exact vengeance on the men who had sent her to her death. Just as the woman was about to lose consciousness, she found she was able to breathe despite being underwater. When she looked down, her legs - which were tied together - transformed into a fin able to swim through waters at lightning speeds. 

"That night when the storm had passed, and the men of the _Merry Willow_ thought themselves safe - she attacked. She ripped holes in the hull. And as the ship took on water and began to sink, the woman dragged those men down into the depths of the sea. So that they would experience the fate they had condemned her to. From that day forward, any innocent woman thrown overboard will live on forever as a mermaid."

The men sat silent, mesmerized by Silver's tale.

"And that" Silver took a swig of rum, "was the beginning of mermaids in the new world."

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fanfiction that isn't sitting half done in a drawer somewhere. Inspired by a post on tumblr. Please review and enjoy. :)


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